The Pope Of Comber

Chapter 15

A few days later: The Manor House Late Morning

Things quickly returned to normal, if you could call a movie set normal. The marquee people worked wonders with the tent structure. They had it back up and running normally again in less than half a day.

Luckily the only injured person was the unfortunate Colin Cole, whom was strangely never ever seen again.

And by the look of it he wasn't missed much either.

Baxter was impressed at what money could do in this movie-world. As he looked over from the main entrance of the 'Manor-House' towards the marquee there was a look of pride on his face.

He could hear Bella tapping the keyboard and answering phone calls behind him. Unfortunately in the distance he could also hear the infernal sound of Isaac's football-whistle breaking the stillness of the late morning air.

It had been a few days since the madcap incident as Baxter called it. But things seemed on the up and up and it was the start of a new week. Shelly looked to be in a better mood than of late. Perhaps it was because he had told Baxter that the movie was as Shelly called it, in the 'Winding-Down' stages.

To be fair just about everyone involved in the movie and the workers on the farm and the 'Manor-House' seemed in great spirits.

Perhaps good feeling really did rub off on everyone else like a virus. Even so Baxter couldn't wait for the day when the last bloody vehicle belonging to his guests would finally roll out the front gates and disappear forever.

Never again he swore to himself.

He knew he had made a stupid mistake from day one of this movie-shoot business.

It was, in his mumble opinion, worth the risk. Comber-Town was badly in need of any kind of 'Media-Hype'. Baxter hoped and prayed that the movie once released would bring plenty trade to the town.

He knew he had made a mistake by thinking the first part of his plan would work. The injection of cash locally did backfire on him. As very few of the movie-crew spent any money in the town and from what he had heard some of them had never even visited Comber-Town.

They were a strange brunch of fellows the movie set workers. He thought.

Then again the 'Eastern Europeans' workers also didn't spend there're money nor time in Comber-Town.

Unfortunately the local-lads in the town had quite a few run-ins with the first batch of 'Eastern European' workers from a couple of years back.

It was a sorry case of good and bad drunks on both sides.

It had reminded Baxter of the sectarian divide that almost destroyed Northern Ireland a good few years ago.

No one wanted the hassle so the 'Eastern Europeans' kept a very low profile about the town. So far the system had worked. Baxter was glad it had.

The last thing he wanted was rioting on the streets of Comber involving his 'Eastern European' workers.

Thank-god, that never happened.

He knew full well that Isaac was selling the 'Eastern European' workers bootleg alcohol. But as long as it didn't reflect on him or the running of the estate, Baxter turned a blind eye.

By the looks and smell of the stuff, it was a wonder that some of the drinkers hadn't gone BLIND!

To be fair all of them 'The Eastern Europeans' turned-up for their work assignments each morning none the worsted for wear it seemed.